Honorary awards

Professor Emeritus Lloyd Sansom AO

The honorary degree of Doctor of Science was conferred upon Professor Emeritus Lloyd Sansom AO by the Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson AM at the Faculty of Pharmacy graduation ceremony held in the Great Hall at 11.30am on Friday 14 March 2014. He also gave the occasional address at the ceremony.

Citation

Chancellor, I have the honour to present Professor Emeritus Lloyd Sansom AO for admission to the degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa).

Professor Emeritus Sansom is an exceptional scientist and international leader who has made a long and lasting contribution to pharmacy, medicines regulation, medicines policy, access to medicines and consumer health both nationally and internationally.

Among his many achievements, Professor Sansom was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2002, in recognition of outstanding, distinguished achievement and service of a high degree to Australia and humanity at large.

Professor Sansom graduated in pharmacy in 1962 and completed his PhD in Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Adelaide in 1972. Professor Sansom’s research interests are in the areas of pharmacokinetics, biopharmaceutics and the Quality Use of Medicines and he has received more than 20 major grants and contributed to over 100 scientific peer reviewed publications in international journals.

The University of South Australia granted Professor Sansom the title of Emeritus Professor in 2001, after serving as a Professor of Pharmacy from 1990 and heading the University’s School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences from 1995 to 2000. In 2004 the University of South Australia recognised his significant contributions by naming the Sansom Trust (established 2001) and the Sansom Institute for Health Research in his honour in 2004.

He was the winner of the inaugural Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association medal (2004) and in 2002 was made a life member of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists. He has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees by Newcastle, Griffith and Queensland universities. Professor Sansom was awarded the inaugural Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Lifetime Achievement Award in August 2007.

Professor Sansom has demonstrated pivotal national leadership through his involvement with numerous government and industry advisory groups. Professor Sansom served as Chair the Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council from 1991 – 2000. In this role he was a major driving force to the development and implementation of the Australian National Medicines Policy. This policy firmly placed the health of Australian consumers at the centre but recognised the importance of partnerships between government, pharmaceutical sponsors and healthcare professionals.

He took on the position of Chair of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, which he held from 2001 to 2012, at a very challenging time when the future of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.was being questioned. Professor Sansom led the Committee to become a highly effective organization that is internationally renowned for its approach to evaluation and funding of medicines, and he managed to bring together the multiple disparate groups from consumers, government, pharmaceutical sponsors and professions.

Professor Sansom also served for many years as a member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicines – Indigenous health and affordable access to medicines has been one of his lifelong passions.

Judging the most significant contribution’s that Professor Sansom has made is difficult given his exceptional and long standing contribution. Whether this is in academic leadership, research, strategic advice on medicines regulation or health policy, his contributions are long and highly significant.

Chancellor, I have great pleasure in presenting Professor Emeritus Lloyd Sansom to you for admission to the degree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa) and I invite you to confer the degree upon him.